Although distracted driving has been identified as a problem, drivers continue to allow themselves to be distracted while driving. The statistics are astonishing. Each day, more than 800,000 Americans “text” (i.e., send or receive text or SMS (short message system) messages) or make phone calls while driving. Over one-third of all young drivers, ages 24 and under, text while driving. Forty-eight percent of young Americans between the ages of 12 and 17 say that they have been in a car while the driver was texting.
The statistics with respect to teens are even more astonishing. Sixty percent of teens admit to texting while driving. Fifty-six percent of teenagers admit to talking on their cell phones while driving. Over 60% of American teens admit to risky driving, and nearly half of those that admit to risky driving also admit to texting while driving. Each year, cell phone use while driving contributed to 21% of fatal car crashes involving teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19.